Part A
The Non-fiction work I chose is the Biography of Edward Low, who is termed to be one of the cruelest English pirates who ever existed. This Biography was written by Christopher Minster, who narrates quite effectively how Low was able to rise from a very basic level of piracy to a standard so high as regards to the standards in piracy. (Minster, 2014). Christopher, the author, is very subjective in the Biography of Low. On numerous instances he presents clear opinions that emphasize his personal perspective on the ideologies of Low. His identity and individual perspectives come out in the story thus revealing what his subjectivity is.
The author for instance emphasizes on Low’s personal qualities as a child. He defines Low to be a physically built child who engaged in theft and gambling and was basically a thug. (Minster, 2014).The author shows that the foundation for piracy had been established earlier in Low’s life. The activities he took part in as a child set the precedent for him to become a pirate in future. Here the author is subjective and comes out as a person who believes in destiny being a result of the values one acquired when he was a child. He emphasizes on his violence as a child and adult. The author therefore from his tone and language, seems to be asserting that Low became a pirate because he was violent and that quality made him better at his activities in piracy.
He is also subjective when describing how smart Low was. The author seems to acknowledge the intelligence and prowess Low used when executing his attacks. The vivid descriptions of the use of flags in luring victims, as opposed to direct confrontation confirms this. (Konstam, 2009). From the tone in the text, the author seems to admire Low’s intelligence. He is a man who values intelligent people. He also comes out as a person who detests cruelty and loss of human life. When he describes how the cook was tied to a mast, the tone he uses shows he is disgusted with the whole event. He ironically states that this made both Low and his men happy. When describing how the lips of a captain were cut, cooked then later fed to the same captain, (Rediker, 2004), the choice of words, style of writing, tone and language employed show he does not support such engagements and feels it was not necessary to prove his point by doing that.
Part B
My responsibility as n teacher is to hearten students to investigate and obtain facts that back up their points of view. I am not to impose my own set of principles onto them. It is imperative, that, as an educator, I be reassuring and inspiring without convincing the learner towards my desired views. The teacher should ensure that the sources of information are actually factual facts that have been researched on. Often a times, I find that my subjectivity hinders me from properly expressing these ideas. I find my subjectivity to be in conflict, in the classroom, especially when teaching things I don’t believe in. I also tend to favor students based on their ethnicity and economic backgrounds.
An elaborate example is the teachings related to the First World War plus the need for a country to have its military aspect of government. This necessitates arm production and even the use of nuclear science to come up with better ammunition that ensures they are protected in case of war, and are stronger in a military sense as compared to the other countries.
On an individual level, I have no belief in war and due to this I feel countries should not have military organizations. The fact that the military exists gives a proper ground for war in case of conflict. Without armies, then there would not be any war. It’s because of the same military that different kinds of ammunition are produced. Due to my subjectivity, I tend to find it difficult teaching the importance of the military and elements of the world wars as I don’t believe in them. I intend to set aside this subjectivity by approaching the concern with an open thought process and not necessarily being judgmental. This I will achieve by recognizing the problem area in myself and also the classroom. If I am not capable of identifying it then I would involve a third party so as to observe my interaction in class and note where my weaknesses are. This will enable me to note what the problems are and eradicate them by interacting better with students. It will also help me avoid favoritism which might be based on gender bias, ethnicity or even socioeconomic factors.
- Defoe, D. (1999). A General History of the Pyrates. Mineola: Dover Publications.
- Konstam, A. (2009). The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: the Lyons Press.
- Minster, C. (2014, May 20). Biography of Edward Low. Retrieved from About.com Website: http://latinamericanhistory.about.com
- Rediker, M. (2004). Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age. Boston: Beacon Press.
